Indicating device for the power consumption in motor cars and the like



July 7, 1931. DUTSCHKE 1,812,868

INDICATING DEVICE FOR THE POWER CONSUIPTION IN MOTOR CARS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 2, 1929 Patented July 7, 19 31 1' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HERMANN ALWIN IPUTSCHKE, OF GASSEL, GERMANY INDICATING FOR, THE CONSUMPTION 1N MOTOR CARS AND THE LIKE Application filed August 2, 1929, Serial No. 383,137, and in Germany June 12, 1929.

This invention relates to a. device designed' to indicate inHP. the power consumption of motor cars, flying apparatus, motor boats and similar land-air-and water-vehicles. The driver can read on the indicating device the actual efiiciency of the motor. I

The apparatus is designed to completethe commonly used indicating devices for indicatin the consumption of benzine, or the trave ling speed. With the aid of the device, according to the invention, the driver or pilot can always control the accurate efliciency of the vehicle during travel, judge of the quality of the driving fluid, observe sources of error in the driving gear or in the motor, ascertain exceptionally great friction of moving elements, discover unfavourable compression, owing'to increase ofthe efliciency of the motor, find out lost speeds onfa measuring apparatus, and generally keep the motor bettefiiunder control than this was hitherto poss1 e. The indicating device cons'Rt-s preferably of an indicating. plate to be fixex on the dash board and of a hand movable on a scale, the hand being positively connected by a transmission mechanism with a device which is dependent on the action of the motor, so'that alterations of the'motor efiiciency can be read by the indication of the hand. The device for transmitting the movement may be mechanical electric hydraulic or prematie.

The device which records the changing i function or efliciency'of the motor may be arranged in the suction conduit, in the e'iihaust conduit, in the motor or in the com ression of the same, or in the driving gear 0 the vehicle. It forms a kind-of dynamometer.

The apparatus does not operate when for instance the vehicle is running down an incline without the motor running.

Several embodiments of the invention are shown by way of example in the accompany- "drawings in which: I I

1 shows diagrammatically an apparao lie-connected to the suction of the similar-view, showing an indi- I r. the exhaust of the, motor fthesii ne rinclple. C

Fig. 3 shows in elevation an apparatus opby a pull spring 9', fixed by a nut g in the foot plate of the support 7. 'The lever e is connected by a Bowden cable It with a driving element of a hand 1" adapted to move over a scale 2' of the indicator 2'. The scale is sub divided in H.P. on the base of certain stand-.

ards. If the motor, at greater power consumption, sucks more strongly, the piston a is more strongly pulled into the extension I? and pulled back through the intermediary of the lever e by the spring g, when the motor efliciency increases again.

The changing power consumption of the vehicle is sensitively transmitted upon the piston a, lever e and spring 9 and thereby I form of construction of the apparatus driven also upon the indicating device so that the J driver can permanently read on the dash board the efiiciency of the vehicle.

The apparatus shown in Fig. 2-has a similar effect, it being however operated from the exhaust pipe a, and the lever e is mounted so that the rod 03 and the spring 9 act upon one and the same arm of the lever. 4

Figs. 3 and 4 show the apparatus operated from the driving gear of thevehicle. Between the shafts g and r a spring-controlled clutch u is mounted on pins 'v. The half 8 of "the clutch is rigidly connected with the shaft 'r and comprises an inclined plane a: on which the other clutch half m is rotatably-mounted. The hub n of this clutch half m is shiftable on the shaft g by guide slot n and pm, but not rotatable, the hub bearing against a spring 0 which bears against a stationary collar p of the shaft g. The roller kof a lever-like feeler e, pivotally mounted-on a support f and controlled by a spring g, is runmng on the clutch element m. The le ver is connected X by a Bowden cable It to the indlcator 2.

When the torsion moment between the driving shafts r and q is altered by-the spring clutch, the clutch half m is'adjusted by the inclined plane :0, w on the clutch half 8 so that the clutch half m yields in compressing the spring 0, the feeler e participating in this shifting movement, wherefrom results an alteration of the position of the indicator 71.

When the power consumption or efiiciency 10 of themotor driving the shaft 9 changes, the

spring 0 pushes back the clutch half m in rotating the same on the inclined plane w-m.

The transmission upon the indicating device a may be electric, provided a current 5 meter or the like he used as indicating device, the scale of this indicator being ganged in H.P. in accordance with the motor efli ciency.

In this case the feeler 0 may for instance be connected to an adjustable contact 2 (Fig. 5) guided on a resistance 'w inserted in the cir cuit.

For the yieldable clutch -between these driving shafts g, 1' any other clutch of suitable type may be substituted.

I claim An indicating device for power consumers in motor cars and other land, air and water vehicles driven by motors, comprising in combination two shafts, a yielding clutch adapted to couple said two shafts, a clutch half shiftable on one of said shafts, a lever-like feeler adapted to be guided by said shiftable clutch, half, a scale on the dash board of the vehicle, a hand movable on said scale, and a Bowden cable adapted to transmit the movement of said feeler to said hand, to indicate the H.P. transmitted by said clutch.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. 4o HERMANN ALWIN DUTSCHKE. 

